Valve for rock drills



Feb. 13, 1934. w s n- 5R 1,946,989

VALVE FOR ROCK DRILLS Filed Dec. 17, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l H115 A TTORNEY Feb. 13, 1934. w. A. SMITH, SR 1,946,989

VALVE FOR ROCK DRILLS Filed-Dec. 17. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheefi 2 I N V EN TOR. mm Miami 25/0 Jr. BY

H15 A TTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 13, 1934 v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VALVE FOR ROCK DRILLS William A. Smith, Sr., Easton, Pa., assignor to Ingersoll-Rand Company, Jersey City, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application December 17, 1931 Serial No. 581,599

1 Claim. (Cl. 121-20) This invention relates to valve mechanisms, The ratchet ring S encircles the head T of a but more particularly to a distributing valve for rifle bar U which extends through the front end rock drills of the fluid actuated type. of block P to interlockingly engage the piston D.

A few of the objects of the invention are to The head Tcarries the usual spring pressed pawls seffect a rapid distribution of pressure fluid to V which are adapted to engage teeth on the so the percussive element and a positive action of ratchet ring Sior holding the rifle bar U stationthe fluid distributing element of the rock drill. ary during one stroke of the piston D thereby Other objects will be in part obvious and in imparting a rotary movement to the piston, and part pointed out hereinafter. to permit the rifle bar to rotate with the piston 10. In the drawings accompanying this speciflcaduring the opposite stroke of the piston. 65

tion and forming a part thereof and in which A closure is provided for the rear end of the similar reference characters refer to similar parts, recess R by a plate or back head W which may be Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a rock drill bolted or otherwise secured to the cylinder B to equipped with valve mechanism constructed in clamp the back head, the ratchet ring S and the accordance with the practice of the invention, block P fixedly in position. 2 42 Figures 2 and 3 are transverse views taken The valve mechanism, constructed in accordthrough Figure 1 on the lines 2-2 and 33 ance with the practice of the invention, comprises looking in the directions indicated by the arrows, a chest X arranged in the present instance on Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the side of the cylinder Band having a cylina modified form of the invention, and drical valve chamber Y therein which commu- 75 Figures 5 and 6 are transverse views taken nicates at points near its front and rear ends through Figure 4 on the lines 5--5 and 6'6, rewith the corresponding ends of the piston spectively, looking in the directions indicated by chamber C through inlet passages Z and. b. In the arrows. the valve chamber Y and intermediate the inlet Referring more particularly to the drawings, passages Z and b is an enlarged portion in the SQ and at first to Figures 1 and 2, A designates, form of an annular groovecwhich communicates in general, a rock drill comprising a cylinder B with the atmosphere through an exhaust port d. having a piston chamber C wherein is arranged Disposed within the valve chamber Y is a a reciprocatory hammer piston D. A closure is cylindrical valve e having a bore therein which provided for the front end of the piston chamber serves as a supply reservoir 3 and which extends 85 C in the form of a front cylinder washer E havin the present instance from the front end of g a bOI'B F through which eXtendS slidably a the valve e to a point rearwardly of the inlet pas-- fluted extension or nose G of thepiston D. sage b wherewith it may communicate through The front cylinder washer also serves to cena supply passage 9. Near the front end of the tralizeafront headl-Iwith respect to the cylinder valve e, although disposed in the side of the 90V B and which may be secured to the cylinder in valve opposite to that wherein the supply pasany suitable and convenient manner. sage g is located, is a supply passage h to afford- The front head H serves as a housing for chuck communication between the supply reservoir 1 mechanism including in the present instance, and the front inlet passage Z.

40 two members J and K which may be suitably Pressure fluid to be distributed by the valve 95. interlocked with each other. The member J c is supplied to the supply reservoir 1' by a conduit which is the rearmost of the chuck members is 9 threaded into a plug which itself is threaded provided with suitable ribs L for engagement into the front end of the valve chamber Y. with the flutes in the extension G, and the mem- In addition to their usual functions, the inlet 45 her K serves as a guide for a working implement passages Z and b also serve to convey exhaust 0, such as a drill steel, and against which the fluid from the ends of the piston chamber C, and piston D strikes. communication between the groove 0 and the A closure is provided for the rear end of the inlet passage is afforded by longitudinally expiston chamber C by a block P having a flange tending grooves or passages o and p in the valve 60 Q at its rear end to seat against the corresponde. The passages 0 and p are located on diaing end of the cylinder B. The block P is prometrically opposite sides of the valve e, and the vided with a recess R which opens from the rear passage 0, in the present instance, affords comend of the block to receive a toothed ratchet ring munication between the front inlet passage Z and S of a well known type which may be affixed to the exhaust groove 0, while the passage p ex- -the block P in any suitable manner. tends from a point adjacent the front end of the exhaust groove 0 rearwardly to connect the said groove 0 with the inlet passage b.

In the rear end of the chest X is a bore q to accommodate a motor designated, in general, by r and which is connected to the valve e for rotating said valve to eifect registry between the various ports and passages of the valve and the valve chest. The motor illustrated comprises a cylinder 8 which is seated in the bore q and wherein it may be afiixed in any well known manner.

In the cylinder s is a piston chamber t of oblong shape for the accommodation of a rotor or piston it which is keyed to a stem 1; on the rear end of the valve 6. The rotor u is provided with a series of radially extending slots 10, four being shown in the present instance, to accommodate vanes x disposed slidably in the slots w and against which pressure fluid acts for rotating the rotor and the valve.

Pressure fluid for driving the rotor u is supplied to the piston chamber 23 through a supply passage y in the valve e and which is in constant communication with an annular passage 2 in a plate 2 seated in the bottom of the bore q and upon which the rotor u and the cylinder 5 are seated. In the plate 2, and leading from the annular groove 2, are a pair of passages 3 which extend outwardly and communicate with passages 4 in the cylinder 8 and which latter passages communicate with the piston chamber t through ports 5.

The piston chamber 15 is provided with a pair of exhaust ports 6 which extend through the cylinder s and the chest X to the atmosphere for exhausting the motive fluid from the piston chamber 75.

The operation of the device so far described is as follows: With the valve e in the position illustrated in Figure 1 pressure fluid flows from the supply reservoir 1 through the supply passage g, the inlet passage 1) into the rear end of the piston chamber and, acting against the rear end of the piston D, drives the said piston forwardly against the working implement 0. During the time the valve e occupies this position the exhaust passage 0 will be in registry with the annular groove 0 and the front inlet passage Z and the front end of the piston chamber C will, therefore, be in communication with the atmosphere throughout a portion of the stroke of the piston D.

With pressure fluid present in the supply reservoir f a portion thereof will flow into the piston chamber 1? through the connecting passages y, z, 3 and 4 and, by acting against the vanes :12, will rotate the rotor u and the valve e which is attached to the rotor. Upon rotation of the motor and the valve e the supply passage 9 will be moved out of registry from the inlet passage 2), and when the valve is rotated approximately a half revolution, the supply passage It will be moved into registry with the inlet passage Z and the exhaust passage d will establish communication between the inlet passage b and the annular groove 0.

When the valve arrives at this position pressure fluid will be admitted into the front end of the piston chamber C to drive the piston D rearwardly and the rear end of the piston chamber will be simultaneously communicated with the atmosphere to exhaust the expended motive fluid therefrom.

This action of the valve, the motor and the piston D may continue indefinitely and, as will be apparent, a rapid distribution of the pressure fluid will be effected to the ends of the piston chamber so that the piston D will, in consequence, reciprocate at a rapid rate for actuating the working implement 0 into the work.

In the modified form of the invention illustrated in Figures 4 to 6 inclusive, the cylinder 7 is provided with a free exhaust port 8 arranged intermediate the ends of the piston chamber C and being controlled by the piston D. In the rear end of the cylinder 7 is an enlarged bore 9 and in the front end of the bore is a plate 10 to form a closure for the rear end of the piston chamber 0.

The plate 10 is provided with a central aperture 11 to accommodate the rifle bar U which may extend co-axially through the bore 9. The ratchet ring S, against which the pawls V act, encircles the head T and supports the back head W.

A seat is provided for the front ends of the ratchet ring S and the head T of the rifle bar in the form of a plate 12, through which the rifle bar U extends. Interposed between the plates 12 and 10, and preferably extending partly into each, is a bushing 13 which encircles the rifle bar U and serves as a bearing for a hollow spindle 14 carried by a rotor 15. The rotor 15 has radially extending slots 16 therein to accommodate vanes 17 and is arranged within a piston chamber 18 in a cylinder 19 which abuts the front end of the plate 12.

The front end of the cylinder 19 is seated upon a block 20 which may be aifixed in the bore 9 in any suitable manner and has an external annular groove 21 to serve as a supply reservoir and into which pressure fluid is conveyed by a connection 22 threaded into the side of the cylinder '7. Leading from the reservoir 21 to the piston chamber 18, and being in this instance arranged in the block 20 and the cylinder 19, are a pair of supply passages 23 for conveying pressure fluid into the piston chamber 18 to actuate the rotor 15.

Preferably the block 20 is provided with a passage 24 which communicates with an annular groove 25 adjacent the rear ends of the slots 16 to assure a balancing pressure rearwardly of the vanes 17.

The block 20 and the plate 10 are suitably spaced with respect to each other to form therebetween a valve chamber 26 for the accommodation of a rotary valve 27 which, in the present instance, is secured to the front end of the spindle 14 by means of a splined connection 28. The valve 27 is. in the form of a ring member and is provided with an annular chamber 29 and a series of longitudinally extending ports 29 which lead from the chamber 29 to the front end of the valve in order to assure the constant exposure of both ends of the valve to pressure fluid of the same value. In the front end of the block 20 are a series of ports 30 which communicate at their rear ends with the supply reservoir 21 and convey pressure fluid into the chamber 29.

Leading from diametrically opposite sides of the valve chamber 26 are the front and rear inlet passages 31 and 32 through which pressure fluid is conveyed to the front and rear ends respectively of the piston chamber C for actuating the piston D and in the side of the valve 2'7 is a port 33 to aiford communication between the chamber 29 and the inlet passages 31 and 32.

The operation of this form of the invention is substantially like that of the form previously described but from which it differs in the respect that the valve controls only the admission of 159 ton therein, rotation mechanism for the piston including a rifle bar extending into the piston chamber, rotor and valve chambers encircling the rifle bar, a supply reservoir between the chambers, inlet passages leading from the valve chamber to the piston chamber, a valve in the valve chamber to effect communication between the supply reservoir and the inlet passages, and a rotor in the rotor chamber and being connected to the valve to rotate said valve.

WILLIAM A. SMITH, SR. 

